Dropbox adds mobile two-factor authentication

Dropbox has decided to make two-factor authentication for mobile applications easier with a new update.

The update means that the company’s mobile app can now function as a backup for users when they need to confirm their identity when logging into their account. The move is the latest in a long line from the company to make its security more effective.

The addition means that a user can send a notification to the Dropbox app on their phone, instead of the old fashioned process of receiving a text message with a code to enter.

Dropbox wrote on its blog: “Starting today, you can also use the Dropbox mobile app to verify your identity. When you’re signing in, you can have a notification sent to the Dropbox app on your phone, and simply tap a button to finish the process, rather than receiving a text message with a code to enter.

Mobile prompts are especially helpful as a backup when you don’t have cell signal, but do have Wi-Fi (for example, on a plane where you can’t receive security codes by text message).”

The file hosting company, which is nearing going public, isn’t the first company to go down the two-factor authentication route for accessing user accounts. Last year, Google added a similar capabilities which allowed for a confirmation box to pop up on the mobile phone screen.